Electric motors conventionally comprise a housing, a stator in the housing and a rotor rotatably mounted in the housing and adapted to be rotated when the electrical power is supplied to the stator. The stator may comprise a plurality of laminations which, in turn, support a plurality of windings. Such a motor further includes a strain relief device which isolates the external leads from the wiring of the stator.
In an electric motor such as shaded pole motor, for example, the stator may have two or more integral segments extending radially inwardly and a coil may be wound about each of the segments. In the manufacture of stators, it is common to apply an insulator coating such as an epoxy coating to the stator before the coil is wound about the segment of the stator to isolate the windings of the coil from the metal of the stator.
Among the objectives of the present invention are to provide an electric motor wherein all varnishing can be achieved after the motor stator is completed without any need for insulating, coatings or varnish as a preliminary step in manufacture; and wherein a separate strain relief is not required apart from the motor stator construction itself; wherein circumferentially spaced integral strain relief connectors are provided on each stator member for interconnecting the coils and power leads.
In accordance with the invention, an electric motor comprising a stator having a plurality of radially inwardly extending circumferentially spaced polar segments and a plastic stator member on each axial end of the stator. Each member has substantially the same configuration as the cross sectional configuration of the ends of the stator, including segment portions overlying the segments of the stator. Each segment portion includes an axially outwardly extending wall and a coil is wound around each stator segment and segment portion of said stator member. Integral strain relief portions are provided on each stator member for connecting the coils and for connecting power leads to the ends.